Idfactory Films:  is a documentary production company based in Toronto, whose executive producer is Ian Daffern. Our focus is making beautiful films built on a foundation of powerful storytelling. We are currently in postproduction on Railfan, a documentary feature that follows a parent and artist creating a photo series of autistic young people who love subway trains in New York City. Production began in 2021 and completed filming in September, 2025. Coming to Festivals and Theatres in Fall 2026. Find out more about us here.
This is our first foray into crowdfunding, and we look forward to connecting directly with all the parents, friends and family of autistic kids and railfans across North America. 

About Ian Daffern: 

Filmmaker Ian Daffern made a 2018 short about the “Virtual Academy,” a group of young railfans who operated an online version of Toronto's subway system from their bedrooms at night. He followed that in 2019 with a film about a model railroad club that was forced to move out of their home after 67 years. When he read about Travis’s project in the New York Times, he recognized a kindred spirit. Just as Travis was inspired to capture the pure joy that these kids felt in a portrait series, Ian was inspired by these kids' passion and their parents' devotion,  to make a film in the verité style of Frederick Wiseman that aims to create empathy for anyone with disabilities, both seen and unseen.

Ian’s work examines the ways in which art can inspire connection and communication in society at large. He co-directed 2021’s Stitched Glass with Omar Majeed (Disco’s Revenge, Taqwacore) which follows a knitter who creates wool tapestries to promote interfaith harmony. Ian then directed 2023’s A Bullet Pulling Thread, which tells the story of a quilter using her art to seek justice after her mentally ill brother is killed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Bullet won best documentary at the Chilliwack Independent Film Festival; screened at the VIFF and Hot Docs Cinema; and was presented by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.